Sat, 16 Feb 2019 09:12:02 +0100WeeblyMon, 18 Sep 2017 22:00:00 GMThttp://www.waterpower.science/summer-2017/a-short-story-about-kindness-and-fieldworkSo, at the point of this story I have only been in Accra a couple of days and it is the first day for me to go to my study area all by my self. I neatly wrote down where I have to go, what Tro tros (privately owned minibuses in Ghana) I should take and where to get off. I also wrote down places to help me navigate, should I get lost and what to ask people to point me in the right directions. I felt like I was well prepared. All ready to head into my study area I took the tro tro leaving near to where I stay, towards Circle. Circle is a interchange with lots of street vendors of all sorts around it. It is also a kind of central tro tro station. Once I got off the first tro tro I was heading where I knew my next tro tro would leave from. On my way at a red light a local man greeted me and asked me how I was doing, just like they all do here. I greeted back and we started talking. He asked me where I was heading and if i needed any assistance. I told him my plan and explained to him, that I was heading to Tetegu. He laughed and told me that my pronunciation was funny and that no-one would understand where I wanted to go, if I said it like that. I laughed because I was well aware of how difficult the pronunciation of Ghanian word was for me. He tried to teach me the right pronunciation fruitlessly. Therefore he said he will accompany me to the tro tros and make sure I got into the right one. First I was sceptical because I knew it was still quite a distance to walk and in Germany its very rare that someone would actually go a long distance to help somebody else find their way, but he insisted and seemed nice so walked together and talked.

On our way we passed a street vendor selling coconuts and Micheal (thats how he introduced himself) asked me if I had tried them yet, knowing I haven't been in Ghana long. I told him I haven’t, so he insisted I try and explained to me how they are opened and that I first have to drink the water and then give it back to the vendor, so he can extract the coconut meat. It was a fun experience and it tasted very refreshing. As I wanted to pay he demanded to pay, since he insisted on eating them in the first place. I was very surprised and thanked him. Then we continued our walk to the tro tros. Arriving there he helped find the right one and double checked if it really is heading the right way. We said our goodbyes, I thanked him again and he went on his way.

Once the tro tro was heading towards its destination I wanted to pay the mate (a guy that collects the money and advertises where the tro tro is heading), but he told me it was all taken care of. That meant that Michael had also taken care of my tro tro fee. I was totally stunned by this act of kindness. Since I wasn't really sure when to get off, I reminded the mate to let me know when we reach Tetegu and so a couple of other people heard where I want to go as well. As we were getting closer to my destination, a lot of other people started reminding the mate that the „Oburoni“ (is the Twi word for foreigner, literally meaning "those who come from over the horizon." It is often colloquially translated into "white person“) wants to get out soon. Most people are very considerate here. Once I got off the tro tro, I walked down the main road towards my study area through Tetegu.After arrival it did not take long till I was approached by a man walking down the street again. He introduced himself as a Reverent. He asked me how I was doing and if he could assist in some way. I explained that I was doing research in the area. He was interested and wanted to show me the area. Since I wanted to take GPS coordinates first I was reluctant, but he was very persistent and I thought it couldn't hurt to get the view of a local on the area. He showed me around and introduced me to a lot of people. I asked a lot of questions and he answered them the best he could. He made a real effort to present the area in its best. He talked about the plans they have like building several churches and how the people living here became his family and how they watch each others back. I thought it was really nice and was happy that I met him, so he could show me the area. He told me to reach out to him, if I ever needed his assistance again. He even offered me to lend his gumboots if i wanted to enter the river for my research. So at the end of the day, I didn't gather one singe GPS coordinate, which was the original plan, but I learned a lot about kindness in Accra and about how people see themselves in my study area, which is worth a lot.

A tro tro passing by (picture taken by Christel Weable on New Town Rd., Accra)

]]>Sun, 06 Aug 2017 11:36:16 GMThttp://www.waterpower.science/summer-2017/stories-from-a-city-under-construction-part-iWe spent our first week in Accra walking around the city observing how it has changed since our last visit in 2015. The streets are crowed with trotro, new buses, cars of all sizes and models and bicycles. Although traffic has always been there, several people told us that now more residents own and drive private cars. The city is growing horizontally towards the peri-urban areas and vertically in the inner city. Construction works are undergoing in many areas of the city and new buildings are sprawling up nearby old ones. Smaller houses constructed with basic recycled materials find place in between large colorfully painted houses surrounded by a wall and an electric fence. Gated communities seem now more present and several gated satellited towns are under construction. Security, control, cleanness, services are some of the adjectives that a real estate agent used to define the lifestyle that this sites offer. In the coming weeks we will further explore the city, interview residents and policy makers to further understand the ongoing transformations.

Apartment buildings in Osu.

Private house in La-Nkwantanang-Madina District.

Cultivation surrounding a house under construction: Urban farming or urban gardening?